For small business, building and maintaining a strong, powerful sales team can be quite costly and take up a lot of time. One extremely effective sales growth strategy is to establish partnerships with local businesses that benefit one another. This tactic has been practiced for eons, and it's greatest by-product are new sales opportunities.

Many business owners attempt to take on sales themselves, removing them from what they excel at which is providing the services they are selling. This is a big problem, especially when you are a new business. How else are you going to get any visibility, if you don’t have someone strictly focused on doing just that?

An agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives while remaining independent organizations. 

These are formed so both companies can mutually benefit in multiple ways:

Generating new leads

Sharing business opportunities

Sharing industry ideas

Sharing marketing strategies

Target specific markets

Offer a more diverse service than their competitors

When you develop a bound with another company and begin working together, you are essentially doubling your sales team by giving your company another voice to represent it; ultimately doubling your chances of winning more clients.

Choose an alliance that is good for both parties

When considering a partnership with another company, there are several things you should consider. Most importantly, be sure they are critical the success of your business goals or objectives. Remember, they will be representing you in the eyes of the client, and vice versa; take special consideration in who you are choosing. A few things to consider are:

Reputation- Who are they and what are they known for? Have they been a positive force in your industry?

Opportunity- What are they bringing to the table and what benefits do they offer your clients? Will this alliance make you a stronger player in your industry?

Social Awareness- How are they perceived by their employees? By the community? By their competitors?

Cost- Are they in line with your price structure? Can your clients afford their services as well as they can afford yours?

It is essential when developing these alliances to understand which of these criteria the other party views as strategic. If either partner misunderstands the other’s expectation of the alliance, it is likely to fall apart.

They have your back!

When choosing an alliance trust is perhaps the most important factor . This is because you are sharing clients and in some instances you may be able to serve a client on your own and turn your back on your partner, or vice versa. This can create resentment and ruin future deals.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to have a strong emphasis on communication among one another. Share ideas, discuss options and if one partner can offer a better solution than support them.

To ensure transparency, have a member of each party be present during key moments that include:

The introduction

Negotiations

Key business meetings

Logistical discussions

That way there is never an opportunity for the other "partner' to feel “left out” and start second guessing their partner.

Understand your Partners Community Involvement

Another point to consider is your new partner's social responsibility policy. Do they have one? Are they connected with the community in some positive way? If you opt to donate 10% to a local charity will they support your decision?

Join forces and work together to make a positive difference in the community. By doing so, you can make a greater impact on those you serve and be viewed as positive influencers working together to help others.

Crush your Competition

Strategic alliances allow your organization an opportunity to widen your reach and offer services you had not been able to offer in the past. This puts you ahead of the competition and when you're asked, "What makes you different from all the other______ in the area?", you can share your story and discuss the extra value you now offer. By serving your clients in areas they weren’t expecting, you can improve your chances of keeping that client around for a long time.

Our mission is to provide Johnston County and the surrounding areas solo/entrepreneurs, small business, and mission-driven organizations with creative solutions designed to assist them in meeting their goals. We do this by taking a holistic view of who they are and what they hope to accomplish, then aid them in developing the areas that need the most help.

Whether it's working with an established nonprofit on a grant, coaching them on how to best leverage social media to spread their message, or working with a new entrepreneur on how to set up a Marketing Plan or Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, my goal is to serve you in whatever manner you need, so you can get busy making the world a better place.